Long COVID: The Silent Disease

By Miral Abbas, MPH New York Amsterdam News

As we near the third full year of living with COVID-19, we continue to learn more about the disease but struggle to understand its longterm impacts. New data has shown that of all U.S. adults reporting a COVID-19 infection, 1-in-5 are experiencing “Long-COVID. ”

Globally, this ratio is higher. Long COVID involves biological and longer term physical and social repercussions that affect everyday life. These repercussions are felt more gravely amongst communities of color where COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, disproportionate adverse impacts.

The Census Bureau’s 2022 Household Pulse Survey estimated that of the 16 million working age (1865 years) Americans with Long COVID, 2-4 million would be out of work due to Long COVID. The cost of these lost wages could amount to approximately $170 billion a year.

Americans who are working at the front lines, in part time or lowwage jobs, or simply paycheck to paycheck can ill-afford to reduce their work hours to recover from Long COVID. This means that most affected by Long COVID have to either bear its symptoms with little flexibility or time-off to recover, or incur reduced wages which contributes to economic insecurity.

According to the CDC, Long COVID is a condition some individuals experience after having been infected by COVID-19. Long-term effects range from fatigue to respiratory difficulties. Long COVID’s persistent symptoms signify an immune response that goes into overdrive during COVID-19. These symptoms manifest due to internal inflammation and persistence of the COVID-19 virus in the body.

Long COVID symptoms vary in range of severity, but anyone is susceptible to it. Jamie Durchame, a health correspondent with Time magazine, told the AmNews, “You can get Long COVID if you had a very mild case, if you’re vaccinated, if you’re young and healthy. There are even some people who had asymptomatic cases of COVID19 and then developed symptoms after that that are now diagnosed as Long COVID.”

The following symptoms have been reported:

• Fatigue

• Difficulty concentrating and recalling memories (also known as “brain fog.”)

• Shortness of breath

• Muscle aches and Headaches

• High temperatures (fevers)

• Cough

• Sore throat

The Washington Heights Long Covid Community Center is a developing center based in Upper Manhattan that hopes to provide multidimensional those affected by Long COVID, ranging from access to doctors, to holistic community resources.

Dr. Jason Maley, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at Harvard Medical School, told the AmNews that for years there have been reported syndromes similar to Long COVID that manifest after viral infections have occurred.

“Symptoms can often be [dismissed or ignored] by docs. Docs look into their tool kits and they don’t have the tools to diagnose, and they don’t have the tools to manage or address the disorder even if they were to diagnose it,” Dr. Horning said.

Given its lasting impact, it’s important to seek treatment.

Long COVID resources

• California Resources for People with Post-COVID Conditions (Long COVID): www.cdph.ca. gov/Programs

• Long COVID Support Groups: www.wearebodypolitic.com/ covid-19

• The Long COVID Survival Guide: https://bit.ly/3qJCVrq

Long COVID may develop regardless of the severity of COVID-19; some who have had an asymptomatic infection have reported Long COVID symptoms. Those reporting more severe COVID-19 symptoms are often those who are not fully vaccinated and tend to report more and worse Long COVID estimates that there are between 6 to 10 million lead service lines still in use in the country. When pipes that contain lead corrode, lead can enter drinking water. Harmful to everyone, even minimal exposure can have a significant impact on children, and has been linked to nervous system damage, impaired hearing, learning disabilities and impaired blood cell function..

• Microplastics: Microplastics are fragments of plastic pollution, which are harmful to water ecosystems and unhealthy to consume. Microplastics are found in both tap and bottled water and in a 2022 study, were noted to be found in human blood. While the health effects of microplastics are still largely unknown, they are emerging as a common drinking water contaminant to be aware of.

Some Solutions

To learn about the contam inants found in your drinking water, you can access the Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database. No matter what you learn, it’s a good idea to filter your water.

Many home water filters only filter certain contaminants. It’s important to look for a water filter that removes chemicals including PFAS, heavy metals including lead, and that provides broader protection against emerging contaminants such as microplastics. One option is the pitcher filters and dispenser filters offered by LifeStraw, which remove not only lead, PFAS and microplastics, but also bacteria, parasites and a variety of emerging contaminants, including pharmaceuticals.

When it comes to child health, PFAS and lead contamination in drinking water is a concerning problem at the local and national level. Fortunately, household solutions exist to make water safer for individuals and families.

StatePoint symptoms. Because of this, vaccination against the virus may prevent Long COVID, given that those who have been vaccinated are less likely to experience severe or fatal symptoms from COVID-19, as well as Long COVID, than those who are unvaccinated.

Given that the severity of COVID-19 appears to be linked at least in part to your vaccination status (full dose and boosters), studies also indicate that those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine are less likely to develop Long COVID. Dr. Maley says that the most common way to prevent COVID-19 and its potential longterm effects is to be fully vaccinated and boosted. To be fully vaccinated and boosted:

• You must have completed the COVID-19 vaccine primary series (i.e.: if you have received the Pfizer vaccine, these were 2 doses, spaced approximately 1 month apart).